Comparative safety and efficacy of cefdinir vs. amoxicillin/clavulanate for treatment of suppurative acute otitis media in children

Objective. Two dosage regimens of cefdinir were compared with amoxicillin/c lavulanate for the treatment of suppurative acute otitis media (AOM) in chi ldren. Methods. This was an investigator-blinded, randomized, comparative, multice nter trial, in which tympanocentesis was performed in 384 patients, ages 6 months to 12 years, who had nonrefractory AOM, Patients were randomized to receive one of three l0-day treatment regimens: cefdinir 14 mg/kg daily (QD ; n = 128); cefdinir 7 mg/kg twice a day (BID; n = 128); or amoxicillin/cla vulanate 40/10 mg/kg/day divided for use three times a day (TID; n. = 128). Results. Of the 384 enrolled patients 303 were evaluable for clinical effic acy. Clinical success rates were statistically equivalent for the 3 treatme nt groups at the end of therapy: 85 of 102 (83.3%) for cefdinir QD; 81 of 1 01 (80.2%) for cefdinir BID; 86 of 100 (86%) for amoxicillin/clavulanate, O f the 197 evaluable patients from whom a susceptible pathogen was recovered , presumptive eradication rates at end of therapy were equivalent: 55 of 65 (84.6%), 54 of 66 (81.8%) and 55 of 66 (83.3%) for cefdinir QD-, cefdinir BID- and amoxicillin/clavulanate-treated patients, respectively. However, p resumptive eradication rates for Streptococcus pneumoniae were significantl y lower for cefdinir BID (55.2%) than for sunoxicillin/clavulanate (89.5%; P = 0.0019) and marginally lower than for cefdinir QD (80%; P = 0.054), Dia rrhea was the most common treatment-associated adverse reaction in all grou ps but was significantly more common in amoxicillin/clavulanate treated pat ients (35%) than in patients who had been treated with cefdinir QD (10%, P < 0.001) or cefdinir BID (13%, P < 0.001), Conclusions. A l0-day regimen of cefdinir 14 mg/kg QD or 7 mg/kg BID was as clinically effective overall as a 10-day regimen of amoxicillin/clavulanat e 40/10 mg/kg/day divided TID in the treatment of tympanocentesis-confirmed , nonrefractory AOM in children. These data suggest that cefdinir QD may be a better alternative than cefdinir BID for refractory AOM, Both dosing reg imens of cefdinir were associated with significantly fewer gastrointestinal adverse reactions than was amoxicillin/clavulanate.